Last, but not least...

So finally here it is the last re-cap!
It may seem like I am a giant procrastinator, but really I was out of town as soon as we got back from the trip! I promise.

What can I say about the trip that hasn't already been mentioned in the 3 testimonials by the guys? Well, it was....a journey. A trek that made us dig down deep within ourselves to find out what we were made of. A trip that made us laugh every time we saw Matt's mustache or Nate doing the Zohan "disco, disco" dance. The trip that made you long to be anywhere but sitting on a bike seat and asking yourself, "How did Rosie (Ryan) just dominate us up that mountain?"

It was the type of trip that taught us to trust one another. It taught us that the midwest was not flat. That West Virgina is in fact crazy and their drivers will try to run you off their roads. We learned of the generosity and kindness of regular old Americans. We learned of what not to do when your motorhome is stuck in sand. Gained an understanding of how gravel always wins in a crash, especially if it's Day 2 and how to work things out after an arguement....because let's face it, we were together 24/7 for 51 days. It was bound to happen.

But let me tell you. I cannot wait to see the crew again! I can't wait to say, "Matt....I mean Nat (Nate)! (We did this to mess with each other all the time) I can't wait for that next time we all get to hop back on our bikes and hit the road again. I can't wait for Rosie to kick our butts again up Glendora Mtn. Road. I can't wait for Matt to grow his mustache out again.

I am extremely excited for what lies ahead for Connect for the CURE. It was a journey I will never forget.

On behalf of team C4C, We would like to say thank you to all who kept us in their prayers, housed us, supported us financially, fed us, taught us, sacrificed for us, and loved us. We love you all and truly thank you for being a part of the CURE.

-cg

In Closing

Well, it's been about a week since I got back from the trip. I don't recommend taking the greyhound...anywhere. Because of all the stuff I had, it was much cheaper to take a bus from Colorado Springs to Southern California. That was an experience in itself, but I'm sure you all want to hear about the actual trip, the experiences we had and what I learned and so forth. So here it goes...

I worked with both Christian and Nate in the warehouse at APU during the fall semester of '09. It was probably early October when everyone at work was eating in the cafeteria. Christian came in and the first thing he said when he sat down was, "I'm going to cycle across the country this summer." The other guys were thinkin, 'yeah right.' I immediately became interested. I found out that it was going to be a fundraiser for diabetes research. I thought, 'what a cool thing to do, cycle across the country to raise funds and awareness for diabetes.' My mom has type two and a few other family members has diabetes as well. I was in. I think it was the next week that Christian, Ryan, and I met for the first time at the Chipotle off of Lone Hill. This was the first time I met Ryan. Ryan had everything down on paper (his vision and plans). I could tell he was serious about this. I found out his reason for starting something like this - his girlfriend having type one. I thought this is awesome. Now began a long year of preparation, making phone calls, going from company to company getting turned down left and right. At first it was very discouraging, but as time went on it got easier to talk to people about what we were doing.

We left on June 6th, 2010 from the Santa Monica Pier. We had a big event for our launch; a mix of family, friends, and sponsors were there to support us and see us off. I had so much adrenaline going, this was going to be an exciting trip. We got lost in South Central, but later found a trail that took us all the way back to Azusa - our first stop. All of you know about day two, one of the toughest days on the CURE. I could probably fill an entire book if I told all of our experiences. As the trip went on the days began to blur a little bit. We were forgetting what day it was and the date.

For what we were doing, things could not have gone any smoother. We missed all the storms. We were sandwiched between the storms (storms in front and storms behind us). There was only one day of rain (the 4th of July), and we hit one lightening storm toward the end of one of our days. That was one blessing. Another blessing would be the drivers. Although we got the occasional driver who is against cyclists on the road, we had no major problems (no one got hit). Another one was with our bikes. We were bound to have bike trouble, and we did, but it was nothing that couldn't get fixed. We also met many great people along the way. One couple stands out to me in my mind...We ended up stopping in a neighborhood in Indiana for lunch, and this couple came out. They were interested in what we were doing, and they gave us 'friendship bread.' Their hospitality was awesome. They asked if we needed anything thing else. We couldn't have asked for a smoother trip. I have no doubt that God had his hand in it.

The guys I was with was a blessing in itself. The group dynamics couldn't have been better. For the most part, we all got along, each person brought their own unique personality, and they all fell into place. Their were difficult times during the trip, it wasn't all butterflies and roses, but we got through it. The biggest thing that I learned was patience, and doing what I needed to do, even if I didn't want to. I learned more of what it's like to work in a team.

I just want to say thank you again to all our sponsors and supporters, family and friends. I want to say thanks to the Ezaki's; Brandon was a very big part of this trip, will always be in our hearts. This is a journey that I will never forget.


-Matt Kaiser

ReCap by Ryan Rosenhahn

First off sorry for this blog taking so long, as you can imaging things have been pretty crazy. So thank you to all of those still watching the blog. As we set off in the motor home for Colorado we had a lot of time to reflect on the trip. The first thought in my mind was how this trip would not have been possible without the support (financial, spiritual, emotional, encouragement, etc…) from all of you. Together we were able to raise around $26, 500!!!!! Great work and thank you to everyone!
As I began this journey I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I can remember walking into Dr. Bezjian’s office in the beginning of the year and telling her, “I am going to cycle across the country for diabetes.” She then replied, “When? With who? Who is supporting you? How much money do you need for expenses? Do you have a non-profit set up? Who is helping with logistics? What route are you taking? Can you fix a bicycle?” I simply replied, “I don’t know”. From day one of this project, it is important that I point out God’s hand in all of this. He provided people, students, mentors, donors, encouragement, and so much more. I can honestly say that every-day God provided something we needed to finish the miles. One day it would be we miss-calculated the miles and had less to go than we thought. Another day it would be we met someone who had endless encouragement for what we were doing. Sometimes it would be a family coming up to us in the Red-Robin parking lot and donating $50. Other days it would be hearing that Christian’s mom has her A-1C levels down to normal, or Laura’s doctor telling her, “these are the best levels I have seen in your entire life!” Sometimes it was thinking of Brandon Ezaki and what his family is going through. When we needed it, God was always there to provide. I can honestly say the only day I felt alone was July 22nd “Gut check day” when we climbed almost 13,000 ft in two days. I don’t have a great analogy or sermon for why I felt alone that day. I can only reason that God just wanted me to go through it without any breaks. Maybe to be out there and truly test me physically and mentally. Usually I ride with a strategy when climbing hills/mountains and always pay attention to my form and cadence. That day there was no strategy or technique. It was grit your teeth and hammer the next peddle. There was no break that day, that day I will remember vividly the rest of my life. From sand on the west coast, to 40 mph wind in the desert, to living like high rollers in Vegas, to literally not breathing much on top of wolf creek pass, to a not so flat mid-west, to dancing in memory of the bike seats, to the ghetto in Phili, to the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. and finally to the Big Apple greeted by the most amazing family and supporters, this trip has been the adventure and learning experience of a life-time. The lessons learned and trials faced will forever be with us, there are things no one can take from us. Together we all got to learn more about this terrible disease and what it means. I personally can’t thank you enough for supporting our cause in fighting diabetes. This disease is very close to me and I pray for a day when we won’t have to worry about our loved one’s whether its in this life or the next His timing is right. I do know that we all took action; you are doers of the Word. I do not know all your reasons for donating/ supporting but know that it did and will continue to make a difference. “Greater things are yet to come, yes greater things are still to be done…” Congratulations pat yourself on the back and be proud of what we have accomplished together. Anyone who says that it was just four young men has no idea. Connect for the CURE is so much more. A special thank you to all those people Nate mentioned in his blog. Wow I can’t believe it is really over! That feeling of riding to the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Ave, hearing the cheers of all our family and friends, and seeing the sea of blue sent chills and a lot of emotions racing through the body. What a feeling to know all that hard work has come to completion. This moment, after 14 months of work was something to be cherished. My first thought was wow they are loud ha, then I realized the support was truly our fuel. That moment was exciting, emotional and impossible to explain without being there. When I got home my mom said to me “Well Ryan, you’re not a baseball player anymore and your not cycling across America. Do you feel like just a regular guy?” I’ve been thinking about that over the last few days and I would say if I have learned anything from this trip (which was a lot) it’s that passion and purpose surpasses all possessions. This summer because of all of you I was given the opportunity to make a small difference. That feeling of doing something for other people and trying to spread hope for a CURE is one of the most rewarding feelings. I don’t want to be just another person. I don’t think anyone does? I want to live with passion and purpose. Whether it’s fighting diabetes, missions, discipline others, working, family, personal relationship with Christ, whatever… my hope is that you too have passion and purpose. Maybe I’m just young and naïve right now, I still have so much to learn; but one thing I hope is to never lose passion for helping others. I want to say a special thank you to my parents, without their love, support, and motor home this trip absolutely would not have happened. God bless you all.

P.S. She did say YES!!!! I’m truly blessed and honored to be engaged to an amazing woman of God who I love, and has put up with me for over six years now.

P.S.S. I know a lot of people are wondering if Connect for the CURE will continue past this year. We will be meeting with the school of business at APU sometime this fall. It will depend on people/ classes and who can take the head position. We will most likely be doing a debrief at APU in an open forum for questions and stories. I will keep you posted when I have dates and times. Thank you all so much.

-Final Video-

See both 'Final Video' and 'Outtakes Video' in higher quality on the main website under the blog tab.

-The Last Words-

Stay tuned for each members recap of the trip as they arrive home and FINAL VIDEO w/ New York Ride-In exclusive footage.
(final video will be on the website under the "blog tab" and the blog Tuesday August 3rd, 2010)


Recap from Nate Martinez-

First and foremost I want to thank God and give Him the glory as He lead us across this beautiful country we are so blessed to live in.
In these past two months I have been stretched into what I hope might be a better person. And I couldn’t be surer that all the people placed in my path weren’t by accident, but all part of Gods plans in my life. The kindness, and generosity without seeking anything in return lived out by The Rosenhahn Family, Kurica Family, Mamma Gail Akard, Schmidt Family, Adam, all the donated RV parks and hotels, Keith and Margaret Thom, Yuta, David and Bob Berkimer, Feldman Family, Cork, Pastor Trudy and Tony, Grandma Nail, George and Becky McLean, Calvary Chapel Montebello, Ezaki Family, Iowa Family, Granitz Family, Uncle David and so many more that will come to my mind when i need it most. You all have in one way or another taught me something about life whether it was your words or simply by the life you live daily.
It has been my honor to be a part of this team set out to find a cure and inform people across the country of Diabetes; a disease very close to my heart. There was a need for a support car driver and I felt lead that this was the way I could help. Thank-you friends, family, bloggers for your support throughout this journey of a lifetime I will never forget. Your support has kept our inner engines running when we were personally out of gas.

With Love,
Nathan Martinez


Last Words:
“What good is it for a man to gain the world, yet forfeit his soul?” –Mark 8:36

No matter how many worldly possessions we desire, it amounts to nothing if we don’t have fellowship and relationship with others, and with Jesus Christ.

WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CHECK BACK ON SUNDAY FOR THE BEST BLOG YET AND A RECAP FROM EACH MEMBER!

Day 50: Philly Philly Philly.....Next Stop....NYC!!!

Tonight's blog is short and sweet because we have to wake up at 4am in order to make it on time to the Ferry in New Jersey before our final destination....NEW YORK!!!



This is a shot of West Philadelphia where we ate awesome Philly Cheesesteaks at Jim's Steaks!



The Jim's Steaks' Crew who were extremely friendly and welcoming




.....and who could forget




Some delicious Philly Cheesesteaks!!!

Day 49: A Home Away from Home

All across America, team CURE has been taken care of by families, hotels, and camp grounds and would like to say thank you to all of those who have helped us along the way. Especially Gail Akard! She made sure that we were well fed, had a place to sleep, and she even let us borrow her car to check out all the amazing sights in D.C. Gail was extremely hospitable and wanted to make us feel as much at home as possible.

Here is a photo of Gail and Team CURE in front of her home in Sykesville, MD:





Here is a shot of Camden Yards where the Baltimore Orioles baseball team plays:

Day 48- Rest Day in D.C!

District of Columbia – Our day in the Capitol.

We had a great day of seeing the beautiful sites of our nation’s capital. Thank you to Gail for letting us use her car to drive into the city, so we wouldn’t have to take our support car/RV. We walked a ton, but it was well worth it. We started with a short walk to Union Station. The place was incredible; it felt like a mall. We ended up seeing the famous Capitol Building. After that we went to two Smithsonians; that’s right, two, count ‘em people. There are actually 14 Smithsonian buildings in what they call “The National Mall.” The weather here is unbelievably hot and humid. With a short stint of down pouring rain which he had to run in for 7.5 mins. It was great to see the monuments of our nations capitol and crazy how we made it all the way here on our bikes. The highlights of today were The Washington Monument, The Vietnam Wall, and The Korean War Monument (where both Matt and Nates grandpas served) Enjoy the pictures we took today in the beautiful District of Columbia.

Day 47: Washington, D.C.

Ryan's Tan Lines



Lincoln Memorial



The Crew









Washington Monument

2 days, 1 crash, 12,991 vertical feet.

We began our day pretty late, as we just couldn’t seem to get ourselves out of bed before eight. The physical exhaustion from yesterday’s 7,600+ climb left us tired, sore, and longing for New York. Within the first two miles of our ride we had our 2nd crash of the trip. As we where cruising downhill around 30 mph, Christian hit a bump that popped his hands off the handle bars, threw his chest where his hands should be, and sent him rolling across the pavement; thankfully all the people driving where paying attention. Everyone stopped, got out of their cars and helped us out. After the clean up (video below) we began the ride again. In my short life, I have been able to experience some amazing opportunities. Anyone who has been blessed with parents that love them and provide every opportunity for their child to succeed is a blessing beyond words. We as a group are truly blessed to be on this trip. But today was a different experience than the rest. Today wasn’t a day that was handed to us or we just magically made it to the next city. Today was a self-actualization day; a day that some people call “gut check time.” Right from the start we where met with huge climbs, never ending rolling hills that hit you one after another like being caught in an over-powering surf in the ocean. Today we climbed to the summit of five peaks, climbing 5,372 vertical feet with grades ranging from 6%-15%. Bringing our two-day total to 12,991 ft with 11 summits. It’s hard to explain the feeling when you have only gone 10 miles, your body aching from head to toe and your legs feel like they are on fire. The best part is that you know what is still ahead of you…. It starts with your feet. Cyclists call it “hot feet” when your pushing on the pedals so hard that they begin to feel numb and hot. It then creeps up to your calves and quads and hamstrings; never mind the fact that your knees hurt from riding everyday and your shin is literally tearing from the bone. Ya, today is “gut check day”. As you finally summit one mountain your mentality is crushed by the sight of another mountain just ahead. So you continue, one burning pedal after another. The grade is so steep that you can no longer sit in the saddle; you have to stand and “attack” the mountain. The bike shifts violently back and forth as your body twists in agony, and the pain only gets worse. Then you look down only to see the pavement crawl by, like honey out of a cold jar. You look down at your once black shorts and they are stained with salt, the sweat pours down your face into your eyes and down the frame of your bike. Only to meet another turn where this daunting task continues. Then your mind wanders and you suddenly feel yourself doing things you don’t normally do or thinking of obscure things. I have heard cyclists describe this when you’re completely exhausted; you have maxed out your lactic threshold and you might be in heat exhaustion. I think it’s just because you want to think of anything else besides that mountain ahead. But you keep on pushing; the motivation feels far away, but you keep on pedaling. It’s a lonely feeling where it is just you, the bike, and what seems like endless feet of pavement. Yet you keep on pushing one stroke after another until finally you have reached your mark. We may not know a whole lot about life and the struggles of raising a family and providing for them, but today I would like to think that we became men just a little more; something no one can take away. So I ask you, what is your mountain? What is something in your life you have been avoiding or putting off making excuses? Maybe it’s a physical goal, or a spiritual matter, or a relationship that needs mending. When will it be time to “get on your bike and push over that mountain?” Was it hard? The most physically demanding 2 days of my life. But I would not go back and change it for anything. Of course we couldn’t have done it alone, the strength from Christ is the sole reason we have made it this far. But today was “gut check day” and we took it head on and overcame. Take on that mountain, and overcome. There is no better day than today to start that climb and when you get to the top you know its done and you can have that feeling forever.

Day 45: We climbed 7,619 vertical feet....Yikes.

Today's ride was most definitely our number one hardest day. We have had tough days (the Arrowhead pass, the winds of AZ), but nothing can compete with today's climb of the Appalachian Mountains. Oh yeah, we made it to our 11th state.....Maryland! We thought it was never going to end. When we came to our lunch stop for the day, we were spent (the first half of our day was only 30 miles...and we had 30 more to go). We rested our legs and ate delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Gagné started cracking up, "I don't want to ride any more." Neither did the rest of us, but we slowly made our way back on the bikes. The second half was worse than the first. Nate also claimed today as being the most difficult driving day as it was extremely stressful. It's just been an exhausting day for the whole crew and we're looking forward to resting, eating, sleeping, and gearing up for....NEW YORK!!! Woo woo!

Day 44 - Tail Mix

hey bloggers. can you believe it. 44 days down. With only 1, thats right you read it correctly, 1 week left! We are starting to see the light at the end of what has been an incredible tunnel. Todays mileage wasnt as long as we had anticipated so we were able to get a little bit of a sleep in, setting our alarms for 9:30. Like many of the days have been, we did not get on the road until later than we plan, but it was okay for today because todays trip wasnt too lengthy. We had heard from Maureen Cunningham of South Hills Country Club that there was a nearby bike trail. Also, thank you Maureen for the Gatorades. Gatorade: is it in Team Connect For The CURE? Yes. Here are some clips of todays bike trail through the beautiful terrain of Pennsylvania.







Tonight we are staying at an RV Park right on the river. We had to hop in of course. Tomorrow, we have heard from many locals, should be very strenuous as we will climb a pretty nasty pass. But hey, we're stoked that its one step closer to seeing our loved ones and lady liberty that'll be waiting for us in NYC.

Day 43: At least I could say, "I didn't stop!"

So.....when we said that 10%-12% inclines were tough yesterday. We were wrong. It was another tough day for Team CURE. Our 92 mile trip took about 6 hrs, traveling through 2 states, and we burned over 7,000 calories. It was physically, mentally, metaphorically, spiritually, figuratively, emotionally, and unanimously taxing. Throughout the day we were continuously hit hard with hill after hill, some even had a 20% grade incline. Every time we turned a corner, there was another one waiting for us. We were drained and Nate was bored. However, we did see some really great things: I, Christian Gagné, passed the 3000 mile mark on my bike (see photo), we went through West Virginia (Voted new worst state because of all the middle fingers we got), and reached our destination in Pittsburgh, PA. Enjoy all of the photos courtesy of Nat Sanchez!

Connect for the CURE would like to give a special thanks to Ed Zurich from the Pittsburgh Red Robin for helping us out by keeping our expenses low and our stomachs full. We would also like to say thank you to Chelsea, Kaitlyn, & Lauren from Chick-fil-a for their unexpected donations and being so kind towards Matt & Nate.

Day 42: Oh, Hi…oh.

Today marked the beginning of our most consecutive 100 mile days before our final stretch to New York City. Our goal is to hit Washington, D.C this Friday the 23rd, so we are gonna be busting our butts (and Nate's driving foot) across West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland to keep on schedule! Pray for a tailwind and pray so that other drivers can see Nate's blinker as he tries to merge into an open lane.

We started out from Columbus and we slowly, but surely made our way to New Philadelphia, Ohio! Again, whoever said the Midwest is flat was obviously driving in a car along the interstate. We rode up some epic climbs today all throughout Eastern Ohio. It was extremely beautiful scenery, wide open spaces, 10%-12% grade climbs complete with Amish horse and buggies cruisin' around. The midwest has a lot of similar traits in the majority of its states (i.e. corn, farmland, cows, horses, barns, etc.), however, each one possesses it's own individual beauty and qualities that separate one another from it's neighbor. It was a tough day physically, but God has presented His handiwork in everything that we see around us. On a side note, the midwest also has crazy dogs that try to chase after us and kill us (See short clip).

We will strive to press on through these last final days, but we can also remain in awe of the creation that we see everyday, the once in a lifetime opportunity that has been presented to us, the support from family, loved ones, and even strangers.

P.S. We found our missing link in our license plate hunt! We had been looking all over the motor home for weeks and had finally come to the conclusion that we must have thrown out our Nevada license plate, but much to our surprise……IT WAS UNDER THE SINK!! Gagné found it and was dubbed as best license plate finder ever.

Day 42: Rest Day in Columbus!

We can't believe it, we are only about 10 days away from NYC!!! This trip has been long, but it sure has flown by. Anyway...let's focus on our day in Columbus, OH. Last night my (Matt's) Japanese friend Yuta who lives in Indiana drove over three hours yesterday to share dinner and to hang out with us for the first part of the day. Thanks Yuta for spending time with us and for buying us dinner. Anyway...after dinner last night we came back to our hotel room at The Westin where we stayed up pretty late. Because of that we slept in til 10AM. Yuta swung by the hotel to pick us up for a late breakfast/lunch/brunch (whatever you want to call it). Driving through town we saw a convention center which had a food court, so we decided to eat there. Even though it was Sunday we had trouble finding a parking spot. There weren't very many people in town, and there was a lot of parking, but most of it was RESTRICTED/PERMIT ONLY, so we ended up walking a few blocks (oh well, we need the exercise - NOT!). After lunch, Christian, Nate, and Ryan went to CVS while I (Matt) ran a few errands with Yuta. When I (Matt) came back to the hotel, we all said our goodbyes to Yuta - he has something called a job that he has to attend to tomorrow and he needed to make his 3+ hour drive back to Indiana. For a good part of the day we hung out in the hotel room to rest (one of the few rest days where we actually rested - which is good). A huge storm came in where the rain was literally blowing side ways (I'm from California...not really used to stuff like that). We later went out to dinner at this little burger joint called the Thurman Cafe (Nate claims that the Thurman-ator was the BEST burger he has ever tasted. "It was indescribably amazing" - Nate). While we were waiting (there was an hour and a half wait on a Sunday - popular little place), another thunderstorm rolled in. It was pouring like crazy. Back to the Thurman-ator...here's the breakdown - The Scene: bun, mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickle, hot pepper, 12 oz burger, bacon, cheddar, another 12 oz burger, sauteed onion, ham, american and provolone cheese, top bun and served with fries. Don't worry folks, Christian shared with Nate. The Thurman-ator was actually on Man V. Food which is this Travel Channel show where Adam Richman (a food enthusiast) travels the country in search of eating challenges. The Thurman-ator was one of his challenges which brought us to the Thurman Cafe in the first place being that it was located in Columbus, Ohio. Awesome place. We made our way back to the hotel, and here we are...oh, by the way, more storms tomorrow...thanks for your prayers. Goodnight!

Love Hurts Dance Video

See the video on the actual website (connectforthecure.net) under the blog tab for the full 720p HD version. Yeah thats right you heard it here first we're giving you options. Hope you enjoy the video as much as we did making it.

Day 41: Ride with us

Hey ya'll. Today we started early, waking up at 7am in our room at the Hampton Inn in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. We had our continental breakfast, got ready and headed out for today's trek. We met up with a Type 1 diabetic and avid cyclist, David Berkimer (The first Diabetic to ride with us!), and his dad Tom (Bob) Berkimer. Tom followed Nate to our destination so that David could get a ride back. We first met David in Nebraska when we were eating dinner at the Whiskey Creek Wood Fire Grill. When we were about to leave the restaurant, Ryan couldn't help but notice that David was wearing an insulin pump while he was eating with his family. We introduced ourselves and told him what we were doing. He was very interested, and we found out that he had done many fundraiser rides with the Juvenile Diabetes Relief Foundation (aka the JDRF). He kept in contact with us for about a week and then he decided to ride with us...awesome!



Our ride was very enjoyable today...it's great to have more company on the road. David joined us from Ft. Wayne, Indiana to Lima, Ohio. Nate wasn't left alone either. He was able to hang out with Bob which was awesome too. We stopped at another park to have lunch (Nate does a great job with our lunches...thanks Nate) and then hit the road some more. After our ride, we took a few more photos with David and Bob and we said our goodbyes. We want to thank David and Bob for donating and for spending the day with us. We then headed to a college campus where we filmed another video. Nate is now editing...so be prepared for another great one in tomorrow's blog...this next one is going to be funny.




Oh yeah, we made it to our ninth state!. (we be cruisin')

Day 40: Rain and some great Hoosiers

Today Team Connect for the CURE was greeted by some rain, but at the best possible time. Christian had broken a spoke on his back wheel so we had to pull over and check it out. After the inspection of the rim, we could see a giant storm comin' directly at us and fast! So we walked over to a Church of Latter Day Saints that happened to be on the corner and took shelter before the storm even started. Nate then picked us up to get the rear wheel to a nearby bike shop called Summit City Bicycles where Mason hooked us up with the repairs and some much needed supplies. After the shop, we made a pit stop at Red Robin where the manager Juan completely comped our meal and even gave us a gift card to use at another location when we get hungry again! As we were talking with Juan about the adventures that we've had so far, a family sitting across from us overheard what we were doing and wanted to help out! Thanks Feldman family for the support, we truly appreciate it!

We would like to thank everyone who has been able to help us out financially, spirituality, etc. We know that right now is very difficult time for some people, families, businesses and we would just like to say Thank you all again for being a part of Connect for the CURE!

Chi-Town

As promised, here is our Chicago Rest Day video. Ryan, Nathan, Christian, and Matt would like to give The Granitz Family a huge (as huge as the Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower) thank you for taking the time and energy to show us around the city. If it weren't for you four we would not have had nearly the same Chicago experience as if we went ourselves. You made us feel like instant family and gave us all a day we will never forget and we owe it to you Granitz Family. God has much in store for you all as you love on others without seeking anything in return. Love you guys.